Evaluate the relationship between state, market and social movements.

 The relationship of the social movements with the state and market can at best be seen in the following way: the state’s ability to meet the aspirations of the people and their representation in the state agencies or organs, and with the market also its ability to give the people what the state has been unable to do. Different sections of people started questioning the model of development and nation state building within a few years of implementation of the Constitution.

The social movements related to the changing statuses of the state and market or Globalisation. Like on the statuses of the state and market, there are also opposite opinions on the relationship between the globalisation and social movements. Some argue that the social movements, especially the new social movements along with the rise of identity movements have emerged as result of globalisation. But when you read different units of this course you will find that there have been collective actions of different groups even before the present phase of globalistion was introduced in India in the 1990s. 

Therefore, it is not always possible to relate the social movements to globalisation. But if we place the issues and collective actions of various groups in the context of changes in the political economy including the globalisations, it can help us to understand the social movement better. We can contextualise the social movements with some examples. There were movements on the ethnic, linguistic, caste and class issues.

The personalisation of the state institutions by the political executive along with the growing corruption resulted in the Nav Nirman movement in Gujarat and JP movement known as Total Revolution. But unlike the latter decades, the mobilisation of these movements was done by the political parties, mainly the opposition or the non-Congress parties. While the mobilisation up to the 1960s had been done mainly by the political parties or the organisations related to them, since the 1970s the different social groups came to be mobilsed by the non-party or apolitical organisations, though in the due course of time they became political. 

Gail Omvedt terms such movements as the new social movements as they share some characteristics which are new. The issues raised by these movements are related both to the state and market. They are related to the state as the 52 states have been held responsible for neglecting them and thus forcing them to launch social movements. They are related to the market because of nature of their demands.

The market-related demands are: the remunerative prices of the produce of the farmers, availability of the subsidised inputs. Some scholars like Tom Brass argue that there is nothing new in these demands; they were raised earlier also. the intervention of the market forces, especially the multinational organisations to appropriate the natural resources like water by the soft drink making companies has caused the movements of farmers in Kerala and Rajasthan against the usage of the ground water.

Retrenchment of workers in several public sector undertakings, following their privatisation or closure, increase in the FDI in the Insurance and Telecome Companies has caused resentment in the working classes and the government employees. These, however, have not resulted in the sustained collective action. From the 1990s onwards the issue of reservation in the private sector has also been added to the agenda of Dalit leaders and political organisations. They apprehend that privatisation as a part of the globalisation will result in the reduction of the government jobs. This will harm the cause of social justice.

They argue that in the light of the shrinkage of government jobs following the privatisation, reservation should be provided to dalits in the private sector. This demand is, however, resented by the representatives of the market or the industrialists. But again, this issue has not resulted in a sustained collective action of dalits.

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